The Canucks are on a course to do the unthinkable. Barring anything unforeseen, they’re set to start next season with the same defence corps that hung lifelessly like an albatross around their necks in the last.

It’s hard to square that with the circle of Canucks head coach Travis Green’s pleas for more from the back end at the team’s year-end press conference — pleas for more offence, a more stout defence and more push-back.

Defencemen usually peak around their age 24 or 25 seasons. The average age of the eight defenders poised to return next season is closer to 27. It’s going to take more than a diligent off-season of training for this group to produce better results.

It’s up to Green, and his assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner, to coax more out of this group through a series of tactical adjustments. That can mean a number of different things. For the purposes of this exercise, I’ve explored the numbers and...